Sir Cliff Richard to ‘sue BBC for up to £1.5m’ as damning texts between cops and BBC over raid on his home are revealed
The star, 76, claims in a High Court writ that the Beeb struck a deal with police to broadcast a raid on his home, which left him "violated"
ASTONISHING messages charting communications between police and a BBC reporter have been seized by Sir Cliff Richard’s lawyers for a £1.5million court fight.
In a High Court writ seen by The Sun, the star says the Beeb struck a deal with South Yorkshire cops to broadcast a raid on his home, leaving him “violated”.
Sir Cliff, 76, was being probed under Operation Yewtree, but the case was later dropped.
He is claiming aggravated damages and says the BBC acted unlawfully.
A police press officer alerted the BBC’s crime correspondent to the start of a raid on Sir Cliff's home — telling him: “Going in now, Dan”, according to explosive court papers.
The message, fired off as officers investigating the star under infamous Operation Yewtree burst into his apartment, is among a series listed in the writ filed by the veteran singer.
Sir Cliff claims in the documents — obtained by The Sun — that the BBC left him feeling “publicly violated” after striking a deal with police to broadcast the raid on live TV.
And he hits out at cops for giving the Corporation a “running commentary” on their operation by text message.
After the press officer’s alert, crime correspondent Dan Johnson replied: “Give me a shout before they take anything out, so we can get the chopper in place for a shot,” the papers show.
He later added: “Cheers — take it he’s not home?”
Sir Cliff was investigated over a 1980s assault allegation, but the case was dropped last June.
The court documents show he has spent more than £1 million on his lawsuit against the Beeb and South Yorkshire Police.
He now wants “a significant proportion” of his legal costs paid and at least £200,000 more in “aggravated damages”.
Sir Cliff says he was forced to sell his home and cancel two album releases and a new book — throwing his “creative and business plans” into “disarray”.
His lawyers are also demanding the BBC pay compensation for data protection breaches and that they destroy all material they hold relating to the raid.
They also want both parties to pay a £132,000 bill run up by Sir Cliff from PR experts over 19 months to defend his image.
If Sir Cliff wins, his total claim could top £1.5million.
A legal source said: “The writ runs to 26 pages and is utterly devastating.
“It represents total war between Sir Cliff and the BBC and the police.”
The Living Doll star’s lawsuit was formally filed at London’s High Court on October 6.
His life was turned upside down in 2014 when cops working for Yewtree began investigating the complaint against him.
Johnson contacted police to say he knew Sir Cliff was under suspicion.
They arranged a meeting at South Yorkshire Police HQ in Sheffield, where Mr Johnson met the Detective Superintendent in charge of the case.
In the papers, Sir Cliff’s lawyers say Mr Johnson told cops he “knew everything” about their investigation and issued a “threat” to air the story before police could search the star’s house, effectively “strong-arming” them into giving the BBC exclusive coverage of the raid.
Later, the force’s head of communications Carrie Goodwin met the force’s then-Chief Constable, David Crompton.
He was told of the agreement with the Beeb and “expressly approved” the decision, the papers say.
That move is slammed by Sir Cliff, who says he made “no attempt” to stop the story.
Days later Mr Johnson emailed Ms Goodwin, asking: “When precisely can we break the story?”
Ms Goodwin told Mr Johnson that the force did not yet have Sir Cliff’s address, adding: “We’ll keep you up to speed on this.”
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On August 6, 2014, cops confirmed Sir Cliff’s apartment in Sunningdale, Berks, as the target for their raid.
A day later JPs granted a search warrant and on August 13 the force told Mr Johnson the raid would take place the following morning.
The writ says cops gave him the address and even sent an “aerial photograph of the block” so that the Beeb, led by Director-General Tony Hall, could identify the site of the search.
Just before 10am on August 14, cops from South Yorkshire Police and Thames Valley Police raided Sir Cliff’s flat.
Texts seized by the star’s lawyers show Mr Johnson and a BBC camera crew were already in position, with another camera crew in a helicopter above.
At 10.20, South Yorkshire press officer Lesley Card began giving Mr Johnson a “commentary”, it is said.
She told him where officers were parked and then added: “Going in now Dan.”
Minutes later, she added: “Yes, we have managed to gain entry.”
Mr Johnson then made his comment about getting the chopper in position.
Meanwhile, Sir Cliff had no idea about the raid before the apartment’s management team told him cops had arrived.
The story was beamed out as an exclusive to millions of viewers, with live images broadcast from outside Sir Cliff’s home.
The writ says the deal hatched by cops and the corporation caused the star “serious and irremediable damage”.
It says South Yorkshire Police “knowingly facilitated” a story that was “highly intrusive” and “highly damaging” to him.
Meanwhile, the BBC caused him “humiliation” and breached its own editorial guidelines in broadcasting the story, it claims.
It adds that the Corporation’s “unlawful conduct” caused Sir Cliff “enormous damage (including reputational damage), distress, humiliation, embarrassment, anxiety and upset, entitling him to very substantial damages”.
The lawsuit says the BBC acted with “flagrant disregard” for his privacy, refusing to properly apologise and “added insult to injury” by submitting the tale for a “Scoop of the Year” award.
The BBC stood by its decision to cover the story and a Parliamentary Committee found in 2014 that it had acted “properly”.
Both the BBC and South Yorkshire Police are contesting the claims, but their defences have not been made public.
However, a BBC spokesperson said: “We’ve said previously we are very sorry that Sir Cliff has suffered distress but we have a duty to report on matters of public interest and we stand by our journalism.”
FAILED PROBE’S KEY MOMENTS
LATE 2013: Man tells Scotland Yard that Sir Cliff sexually assaulted him as a teenager in Sheffield.
JULY 3, 2014: Scotland Yard hands probe to South Yorkshire Police.
JULY 14: BBC crime writer Dan Johnson contacts SYP to say he is working on an historic sex crime probe story into Sir Cliff.
JULY 15: He meets force PR chief Carrie Goodwin and lead investigator Det Supt. Mick Fenwick at force HQ and agrees “deal”
JULY 18, 8.23am: He emails Ms Goodwin, asking: “When precisely can we break the story?
SAME DAY, 10.53am: Ms Goodwin tells him force does not have Sir Cliff’s address.
AUGUST 6: SYP identify his flat in Sunningdale, Berks, as their target. JPs grant search warrant next day.
AUGUST 13. 4.31pm: SYP press office send Mr Johnson a weblink to aerial photo of apartment block.
AUGUST 14, 10am: Police arrive. Two BBC camera crews in position, one in a helicopter. Sir Cliff not in.
10.20am: Press officer Lesley Card starts “a running commentary” for Mr Johnson. She tells him: “Going in now, Dan.” He tells her: “Give me a shout before they take anything out.”
1pm: SYP put out release to all media about raid on an unnamed man’s home.
1.01pm: BBC breaks exclusive report of Sir Cliff raid.
AUGUST 23: Sir Cliff is voluntarily interviewed by SYP detectives.
NOVEMBER 5, 2015: He is re-interviewed again voluntarily.
MAY 10, 2016: File passed to Crown Prosecution Service.
JUNE 16, 2016: CPS drop case. “Insufficient evidence to prosecute”.
